The Strong, Dragon

In the training ground behind the dojo, Hiyori and Zoro stood facing each other, Zoro with Wado Ichimonji in his mouth and a sword in each hand.

Hiyori stood opposite him, also wielding two swords.

Koshiro, acting as the referee, stood in the middle, looking at Hiyori with a hint of helplessness. "Zoro's antics are one thing, but why are you joining him, Hiyori? There's no need for a real sword duel."

That's too dangerous. After all, Zoro is only a twelve-year-old boy.

"Because I know,"

Hiyori and said, "Zoro- kun is a true samurai."

Koshiro could only shake his head.

"Hey, bring it on!"

Zoro, full of fighting spirit, declared, "I will defeat you, and then..."

He turned his head and looked at Sirius, who was tying Yamato's hair into Yamato ponytail on the sidelines. "Go and beat that guy again!"

"Tch, arrogant brat!"

Ulti sneered dismissively, "You're quite the talker!"

"Idiot, don't move!"

Sirius patted Yamato's head to stop her from shaking, then laughed and said, "If you don't even have the courage to set your sights on the highest point, how can you be qualified to ride the wave of the times and soar to the sky?"

"So, Captain," Luo said with a slight smile, "When did you become the highest-ranking officer?"

Sirius glanced at him sideways.

On the field.

Hiyori chuckled softly after hearing Zoro's words, "That's a great goal, feel free to give it a try."

"Don't look down on me, woman!"

Zoro, however, thought he was being looked down upon and instantly glared angrily at his teacher, "Koshiro, can't we begin yet?"

Koshiro's eyebrow twitched.

Since that stupid disciple wants to get beaten up, then let him go.

"Start."

He said.

"Take this, woman!!"

Almost simultaneously, Zoro roared, his short legs straining as he sprinted like the wind.

"Speaking of which,"

Yamato looked at Zoro with considerable curiosity, "How can he speak so clearly with a sword in his mouth?"

Sirius almost laughed; finally, someone asked that question!

"Three-Blade Style - Oni Giri!"

Zoro suddenly exerted force with his right leg, lowered his body, and instantly increased his speed, slashing the three blades mercilessly towards Hiyori.

Hiyori smiled lightly, flicked the blade in her left hand, and met Zoro's three swords at an angle.

With a clanging sound, Zoro's three swords were deflected diagonally.

"What!"

Zoro was shocked; now all his weaknesses had been exposed!

"It's over, kid."

Hiyori showed absolutely no mercy; his right hand, wielding the Nidai Kitetsu, instantly transformed into a venomous snake, unleashing a sharp gleam.

Wow!

Zoro quickly raised his sword to defend himself.

When!

With a loud bang, Zoro was blasted away, crashing heavily to the edge of the training ground and slamming into the wall. His two swords flew out of his hands and landed on the ground to the side.

Seeing this, Koshiro shook his head helplessly.

He looked at Hiyori.

A strange sense of melancholy welled up inside me.

She's already a qualified swordsman.

"It hurts!!"

Zoro slid down the wall, clutching the back of his head and groaning in pain, "What kind of superhuman strength is that?!"

Then he struggled to stand up straight, looked at Hiyori, took the Wado Ichimonji from his mouth, and held it in both hands. "So strong, you're really strong!"

"Shall we continue?"

Hiyori and said, "Young man, you have absolutely no chance of winning."

"Stop talking nonsense! We've finally met someone as powerful as you!"

Zoro took a deep breath. "How could I possibly admit defeat! I'm going to..."

"To make your name resound throughout heaven!!"

He roared.

The young swordsman launched a desperate charge.

"I see."

Hiyori nodded. "I've seen your resolve. I won't fob you off. Now, take a look at my sword."

She gripped her twin swords tightly, "Oden Two-Blade Style— "

Koshiro sighed and shook his head.

"Peach Blossom White Waterfall!!"

Hiyori a soft shout, Hiyori's twin swords pierced the air.

Immediately, light was born.

A sharp slash shot skyward.

The sheer force of the slash alone was enough to knock Zoro to the ground.

He stared in astonishment, mouth agape, at the slash that shot straight up into the sky.

What is this?!

Could a swordsman even do something like that?

I've never heard of that before!

Is it necessary to go to this extent?

Black Maria couldn't help but say.

This is blatant bullying of children.

Will that boy be so frightened that he'll never dare to hold a sword again?

"Don't underestimate that kid."

Sirius said with a smile.

Roronoa Zoro, that's no ordinary name.

The slash dissipated, Hiyori smiled, saying, "Want to continue?"

Zoro shook his head. "I lost."

He sheathed Wado Ichimonji, then looked up with a wide smile. "What?! So swordsmen can even do something like this? That's amazing!"

Hiyori smiled slightly.

What an amazing young man.

"And,"

Zoro's expression suddenly turned somewhat dejected. "Women can be this strong too."

"Huh? What does this brat mean?"

Ulti instantly flew into a rage, "Are you looking down on women? Do you want to get beaten up?"

Please don't misunderstand,

Koshiro quickly replied, "Zoro... he was just remembering some things from the past."

His eyes also dimmed somewhat.

He thought of his daughter.

"Of course Hiyori can become so strong, because she's always worked so hard!"

Yamato looked completely bewildered.

"Hard work can indeed make a person stronger, but," Koshiro sighed helplessly, "I can't break through the barrier of talent."

Kuina is already very good.

But she was indeed just an outstanding, ordinary girl.

Moreover, she encountered Zoro.

"Wow, that old man's gotten annoying!" Yamato grumbled.

"There's no need to be angry. Mr. Koshiro is right."

Sirius smiled and said, "This world is inherently unfair. It's cruel, but that's a fact."

Which of the top monsters isn't exceptionally gifted?

Some people work hard their whole lives, but they may still not be able to match the starting point of monsters.

"Sirius, you say that too!" Yamato puffed out his cheeks. "Sirius is annoying too!"

Sirius poked her cheek, only to be angrily slapped away by Yamato, who said, "But it is the weak who are stopped in their tracks."

"Where in the world is there absolute strength? As long as you refuse to be weak and forge ahead bravely, aren't you already a strong person?"

"Sirius!"

Yamato's anger turned to joy, and she jumped up to hug Sirius's neck. "That's right, that's exactly how it should be!"

"Didn't you say I'm annoying? Please stay away from me, Miss Yamato."

"No way! I love it!"

"Is being brave enough to forge ahead the mark of a strong person?" Koshiro paused slightly, then shook his head with a smile. "It really is a very simple truth."

"Hey-hey,"

Zoro grinned, sniffed, and exclaimed, "As expected of a worthy opponent! Truly extraordinary!"

"This woman has already taken the challenge! Now it's your turn to be my opponent!"

"Oh! Bring it on!"

Sirius laughed heartily.

After flicking Zoro's forehead and sending him flying, Koshiro mysteriously ushered Sirius aside.

He said, "Mr. Sirius, could you please stay here for a few more days?"

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "You should know what will happen to this village if our whereabouts are exposed, Mr. Koshiro."

"Rest assured, no one in this village will reveal your whereabouts,"

Koshiro smiled and said, "I have absolute confidence in this."

Huh?

Where does this confidence come from?

Sirius sensed something was wrong.

Come to think of it, in the original work, this guy seemed to have some connection with that group, right?

"Someone wants to meet with you."

Koshiro said, "It's quite a coincidence, really. He had just asked me to look for you, and then you came to our door on your own."

Sirius had a pretty good idea of who he was talking about, but he still decided to confirm it.

"So, who is that person?"

People called him, Dragon.

That's true.

Thank you to 'Mr. Black' for the generous 100-point reward, and thank you to 'Life is all about results' and 'Crayon Shin-chan' for the 2000-point character reward.